It's Only the Beginning
by YoungestCullen8
Summary: It's been twenty years since Adam and his friends were Rangers. Now they've carried on with their lives. This follows Adam and his best friends as they live and work in Angel Grove. Love and other things are abundant in their lives.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** I've been watching Power Rangers all over again and my favorite character is still Adam. So here is a random story. It's set twenty years after the original series and the first movie.

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Adam watched his students work on katas from the landing of the dojo. He watched one of his business partners run through everything with the kids. Rocky DeSantos was an expert at dealing with kids. Adam liked to think he was as well but he was still a little shy. Martial arts helped cover that shyness but he still felt like that awkward teenager.

Thinking about being a teenager sent him back a few years. While he was in high school he was a super hero. Literally. He was a member of a team of teenage super heroes known as the Power Rangers. He had come in when three of his friends were going to Switzerland. Taking over the Black Ranger role from Zach had been exhilarating yet frightening at the same time. He was replacing someone who had been part of the original team.

He had spent three years with the team. He had gone to a different planet to get their ninja powers when everything had fallen through on earth. He had watched two of his friends leave to go on to bigger better things. Two new friends replaced them but the ones who had left were forever in his heart and phone book. He had changed his suit color from black to green. He had gotten a number and a Turbo vehicle, the one he dubbed the minivan to his friends. He had seen the best of his life go by in a flash.

He recollected how he felt when the time came that he had to hand over his powers. It had been bitter sweet. He had had to say goodbye to his friends. They all kept in contact as they went to their respective colleges. He had gone to UCLA with his best friend Rocky and gotten a degree in business. When they graduated, they opened the dojo they were in now.

Adam's life had gone on as he had desired. He still talked to his mom on a daily basis. Most of the time she was asking how his younger sister was doing. Adam was twenty-eight, going on twenty-nine, and his sister Katie was seven years younger. She was going to UCLA for a criminal justice degree. The dojo and Adam's apartment were twenty minutes from the campus. It was only logical for his sister to live with him.

As of right now she was a junior. She was applying law school immediately after. They fought all the time but Adam was a protective older brother. He allowed her boyfriend over but he had to leave at midnight. She didn't like it on nights when she was nervous about a test. That was when they sat in front of the TV with tubs of chocolate ice cream watching old movies.

Adam watched as Rocky called an end to class. The students picked up their bags and began to disperse towards their parents. As they walked out the door, they looked up and said goodbye to him. He waved back at them and said bye to each of them. He believed in making sure everyone felt as if they got his attention. As one of the kids was walking out the door, a young man walked in. It was his younger brother.

Frankie was three years younger than him. At twenty-five he had a nice paying job. He was a few months away from paying off his new car and buying his apartment since it was rent to buy. He also had a girlfriend which was amazing since he tended to be a smart mouth. He and Adam had a good relationship since they were so far apart in age. School wise they were four years apart since Frankie's birthday was in November and Adam's in January.

Frankie made his way up the stairs to him. When he caught up to his brother, he grabbed his hand and smacked him on the back.

"How's my big brother doing?" he asked.

Adam smiled. "I'm doing well. I'm just waiting on Rocky to get the kids off the mat so I can wipe it down for the next class. What are you doing here?"

"I'm just coming in for a complimentary lesson."

He cast Frankie a look. "You're a second degree black belt."

"I can still come in and train with my own brother can't I?"

The older Park turned and went up the steps. "There are extra gis in the supply closet."

"I have mine with me."

"Then stop gabbing and get changed."

Adam walked into the office and smiled. On his computer was his other best friend. They had met in college. Both were studying business. When Adam brought up the idea of owning his own dojo, his friend jumped at the chance to be a partner in it. Rocky was happy to have someone to be the brains behind the business. Adam was good at advertising and taking care of things in the dojo. He was happy he didn't have to worry too much about the books and bills and rent.

He walked over to the locker on the far wall and pulled out his pants. Trading one pair for another, he tied his black belt around his waist.

"How's everything going, Rylen?" he asked.

She looked up and he was still amazed. She had heterochromia. Her right eye was a dazzling blue and the right was a stormy gray. It was an amazing combination and was really offset by her blonde hair. He laughed at her every time because she had green and blue streaks in it.

Rylen turned around and smiled up at him. "It's good. All the books are in order so it will be easier to turn in everything at the end of the month. Also I ordered a new mirror for the ladies bathroom. There was a little accident last night with a pair of nun chucks. Also the towels need to be replaced as well."

He let her Irish accent wash over him. He had visited Dublin with her one summer and had loved it. He wanted to go back sometime.

"If you take the taxes out and those other items, how much will we have left over?"

"Once we pay the bills, there will be enough left over for miscellaneous items. Even if you spend five hundred dollars, you'll still be in the clear. You pinch money like an Irish man hoards liquor."

He smiled at her funny analogy. For an Irish woman, she was Americanized. He figured it was because her dad had moved the family from Dublin to Los Angeles when her brother decided to play for the L.A. Galaxy soccer team. They wanted to be closer to him.

"Are you going to join us on the mat?" he asked. Rylen was a black belt just like him, Rocky, and Frankie. She had taken a self-defense class the college had offered and it went from there.

"No, I can't. I have some work to finish here then I think I'm going to grab dinner."

"Dinner!" Adam looked at the clock. "I'm supposed to meet Cassie tonight."

"You forgot again?"

"How am I going to make it in time? Class ends at six and I'm supposed to be there then."

"Then you need to make a decision. You stood her up last time because you got sick. This time she won't be so lenient." She turned from her computer to look at him when he was quiet. He had the puppy dog look. "No, no, no. Not happening."

Adam followed her out of the office. "Please, Ry. Just call her and tell her class ran late."

"No, Adam. Cassie already doesn't like me because I spend too much time with you. It's not my fault Jason and I live across the hall."

She was right. Adam's girlfriend hated Rylen because she felt the woman was intruding on her personal time with her boyfriend. Rylen wasn't like that. She was dating one of his closest friends Jason Lee Scott. They had been together for a year. Adam had been with Cassie for six months and she still didn't believe him when he told her there was nothing going on between him and Rylen.

He sighed heavily. He had to figure out how he was going to get out of class and to his date on time. He hated leaving his students for his girlfriend but he'd already missed one date.

Rylen slung her bag over her shoulder and looked at him. He was seriously torn over this. It showed how much he cared for everyone in the situation. She finally sighed.

"I'll call her and tell her you're running late because your brother popped in. It's not a lie but it's not the truth," she said.

He looked up at her. "I don't want you to get in trouble."

"I won't be the one in trouble. That'll be you. I'll be cozy in my apartment with Jason."

"We should double sometime."

Rylen smiled and walked down the stairs. Adam watched as his brother caught her at the steps and made small talk. She smiled at him and spoke, and he could see his brother's face crumple with the accent. Rocky saved the poor fool from a major drool scene by stopping by him from talking then steering him back to the mat. Frankie had never heard Rylen speak before.

Speaking of speaking, he was going to have his ear chewed off when he got to dinner that night. Cassie was not going to be happy at all. He walked down the stairs to begin his class.


	2. Chapter 2

Adam sighed as he walked up the last flight of stairs to his apartment. His dinner had not gone as he had planned or wanted. Cassie had been madder than a hornet when he walked in at six-thirty. She had let him have it, even going so far as to bring up his first time. He had made sure to tell her that he had been sick the last time, but she wouldn't hear it. He had stopped her from talking when she brought up his friends. His friends were his friends. He always tried to keep his friends and his girlfriend separate.

Cassie had gone on and on all during dinner. Adam had listened to her rant then paid. She wanted him to come back to her apartment. He declined and started a whole new fight. She wanted him to spend the night some time. He argued that he couldn't leave his sister alone at night because his mother would kill him. She said his sister was old enough to take care of herself, but he didn't see it that way. He put her in a cab and felt her anger at his back as she pulled away.

Normally they would get dessert at a little ice cream shop. Adam popped in and bought a tub of his favorite. He sent Rocky, Jason and Tanya a text. He wasn't sure if Tanya would be able to come because she might be out of the county on another dig. She had joined her parents in Africa after she got her archeology degree. She was still one of his best friends so he would include her in all of this.

As he walked back to his apartment, he thought over the last month and a half. When the relationship started, Cassie had been a wonderful person to be around. She loved to laugh and they did random things on a whim. They were always together. She came to the dojo and helped with the cleaning and whatever else she could get her hands on. Even when she found out that Rylen was working there, she never had a problem.

Up until a month and a half ago, she had been sweet. His mom wanted him to marry her. Then she changed. She was really irritable and nagged him about everything. Tonight had been the worst. She started in on Rocky giving his girlfriend everything. Then she jumped on Jason and Rylen living across the hall and how she was certain Rylen was after him. He had tried to assure her his best friend wasn't after him but she wouldn't listen. He finally got annoyed when she jumped in on Katie. That was when he put her in the cab and left.

He had no idea what was wrong with her. So he was going to run it by his friends. Tommy used to tell him he acted like a girl when he would talk about everything with his friends. It was and would always be a joke. He still talked to his friends about everything.

When he walked up to his door, he tried to the knob. It was locked. Katie was smart in she always locked the door when he wasn't home. He fished his keys from his pocket, stuck the key in the lock, and turned it. He heard the click and turned the knob. As the door swung open, he heard familiar voices. Katie was sitting in the chair talking to Rylen and Jason who were on the couch.

Jason smiled up at Adam. They had known each other since their days in high school. Jason had been the first Red Ranger before Rocky had taken over. Jason had gone to the World Peace Summit in Switzerland. He and the other two had done some good at the meetings. Then he had come back to help them when they really needed it. When he once again lost his powers, he had gone on to bigger and better things. He was now a nurse at the community hospital.

He had a perfect relationship with Rylen. He worked odd hours and dealt with hard cases that left him worn out. They didn't go out very much because of it. Adam and Rocky had asked Rylen one day why they were always home when they called. She had answered that because of Jason's work they really different have time to go out. When they did, it was always just the two of them.

From what they heard, the couple never argued. If they did none of them heard anything about it. Their policy was to keep their disagreements to themselves. It worked for them.

"Hey, buddy," Jason said. "Your date must have been bad for you to call us."

"Let me dish out the ice cream and we'll talk," he replied.

Katie popped up from her seat and followed him into the kitchen. He smiled at her then the two of them worked quietly to fill four bowls with frozen sugary goodness. He grabbed two bowls and she grabbed the other two. Just as he was handing the bowls to everyone, the door flew open. Frankie and Rocky were arguing as they came through the door. Katie got up once again and went to the kitchen. She came back with two more bowls of ice cream. She handed them to her brother and friend.

"Sorry we're late. We went to dinner and Frankie was hitting on the waitress," Rocky said.

"I thought you had a girlfriend," Jason replied as he shoveled ice cream into his mouth.

"Eh, we broke up a week ago. She said something about me never having time to spend with her," Frankie replied. "So what's the big emergency?"

"I think it might have something to do with Cassie," Rylen said. Everyone looked at her. "Do you remember telling me to call Cassie because you were going to be late?"

Adam nodded as he swallowed the ice cream he had shoved in his mouth. "Yeah. Was it that bad?"

"Adam, she accused us of having an affair. I asked her why she would think that when I had a boyfriend, and she got this snippy little attitude. She told me it was a decent cover up but that I better be happy she was a nice person." She stuck her spoon in her mouth then yanked it out immediately. "I mean I've had plenty of opportunity to cheat and I haven't."

Rocky looked to Jason. "You knew all this?"

Jason nodded. "Yeah, I know all about it. We don't lie to each other even if we have issues. It's always straight laced."

"I wish I could have a relationship like that," Adam said.

"What happened?" Katie asked as she put her feet in his lap.

"I was late to dinner. I had Rylen call her to tell her I was running late. When I got there, she was fuming already. She laid into to me immediately. I never got a word in unless I was defending whoever she was talking about. Mostly it was about Rylen and Katie. I don't know what's going on. She's been irritable for a month and a half."

Katie and Rylen looked at each other over him. He looked between them. Having his sister live with him and his friends living across the hall meant they hung out together a lot. They had developed their own way of silently speaking.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Have you thought about Cassie being pregnant?" Rylen asked.

He sputtered into his bowl. He looked to his sister who seconded his friend's motion. "Firstly, I don't like my sister thinking about sex and babies. Second, no. I have never thought about it."

"Well, mood swings can be a part of pregnancy."

"How would you know all this?" Rocky asked. Rylen and Jason looked at each other. "You're pregnant now?"

"No, but I have been."

Katie began bouncing in her seat. "Really? When?"

"Four months ago," Jason replied. "Unfortunately we lost it."

Adam looked at his friends. "None of us knew any of this. Why didn't you tell any of us?"

Jason slipped his arm around Rylen and rubbed her shoulder. "It was a personal choice. We didn't want to worry anyone else. It was too soon into the pregnancy for us to know anything but it was still rough. She spent three days in bed. Fortunately I got off to spend with her. It's amazing when you tell female nurses your girlfriend lost your baby how much they'll do for you."

"What happened?" Katie asked. Rylen looked at her. "How did you lose it?"

The other woman shrugged. "They don't know. We went to the hospital because I was having severe pain in my abdomen. It was then they found out I was having a miscarriage. I stayed in the hospital for a day and a half. When we went home, the nurses Jase works with had food for us."

"I still wish we had known. We would have come to check in on you," Adam replied.

"We just wanted to be alone," Jason said. "We wouldn't have let you in the house."

"Gee, thanks. So you think Cassie could be pregnant?"

"All you have to do is ask. The worst she can say is no."

Adam set his bowl on the table and buried his face in his hands. When he scrubbed them over his head, his hair stood up on end. This was not something he wanted to be discussing now. But based on what his friends had just told him, he had to think about it. Rylen knew more about it because she had gone through it.

"What do I do if she is?" he asked.

"You have two choices. You can stand by her or you can walk away. You won't do the latter because Dad taught you better than that," Frankie said as he set has bowl on the table and crossed his feet at his ankles.

"The only thing you can do as of right now is talk to her, Adam," Rocky said. "If Marisol told me she was pregnant, I would stand behind her."

"You'd do the same for me," Katie said.

Adam reached over and pulled her down in his lap. "Don't even think about it. But yes, I would."

"Then all you have to do is ask. If you want, I can ask," Rylen said.

"No thank you. I'm already in trouble because I asked you to do something for me. I'll ask next time I see her."

The rest of the evening was uneventful. Around midnight, Katie headed to bed. She was going out with her boyfriend the next day and had no idea where they were going. Adam and Frankie were very unhappy with that but the guy made their sister happy. Rocky and Frankie left a few minutes after Katie went to bed. Rylen and Jason stayed long enough to help clean up the little mess they had made then excused themselves to go across the hall to their apartment.

After he had showered and put on clean clothes, Adam lay in bed and thought about the day. He had had an excellent class only to have his mood dashed by Cassie. He needed to figure out what was going on with her before he could decide on what to do. He loved the girl. There was no doubt about that but he didn't want to be in a relationship with someone who was always so angry.

Rylen had told him when he started dating Cassie that there was some underlying thing going on with the girl. He thought she was overreacting but now he was rethinking all of that. If she was pregnant that might help him understand her mood swings. But that wouldn't explain why she thought Rylen was after him. They were business partners and best friends. He didn't want to ruin a perfectly good friendship.

He had to talk to Cassie soon because this was going to eat him alive. He knew he wasn't going to get any sleep but he tried anyway.


	3. Chapter 3

Rylen, Rocky and Jason sat on the landing and watched as Adam and Cassie talked. He had walked into the dojo that morning with a smile on his face. That smile had fallen the second Cassie walked into the building. She obviously thought his text message meant to come find him so they could talk. Well there was no way the others who had been there first were leaving. Adam had asked for privacy. The best he was going to get was them standing there.

They were trying to figure out the man's facial movements. When he wanted, Adam had the best poker face out of all of them. He wasn't showing them anything. Every time he stopped talking so Cassie could, his hands found his hips and he leaned in so he could listen. She was a tizzy of motion as she spoke. It looked like she was getting more and more riled up as she went along.

Finally she exploded. Her hands flew all over the place and Adam's face finally contorted into anger. He let his temper fly and she took a step back. She had the final say before she stormed out. Adam rubbed his face and looked up. They all looked at him but didn't say anything. He walked up the stairs slowly then sank down in a chair around the table. Rylen walked over to the coffee pot and poured four cups of coffee.

"Well?" Rocky asked. Adam nodded his head. "Dang, buddy. What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to be there for her and the baby of course," he replied.

"Are you going to marry her?" Jason asked.

"I don't know. I can't stand the way she's been acting."

"Then why are you dating her?"

"She never acted like this until she met Rylen."

"Don't blame this on me! I've been here working with you. I'm the one who said something was wrong with her," Rylen replied.

"I know." Adam got up and paced to the railing. "She was so nice in the beginning. She told me that I need to give up on everything I know."

Rocky looked at Jason. The man in red and black nodded his head.

"She knows," he said.

"You really didn't keep anything from her did you?" Jason raised his coffee cup at his friend with a smile. Rocky walked over to Adam. "Dude, you can't give up everything you know. We made some pretty tight bonds. We were Power Rangers. That's something you don't forget. That means you don't have to listen to her."

"The worse thing she could do is break up with you," Rylen said.

Adam groaned and ventured back to the table. They heard the bell to the door chime as it opened. There were pounding footsteps on the stairs.

"Hey, guys!" a guy with spiky hair said.

"Tommy!" the guys echoed at the same time.

As they rushed their friend with hugs and handshakes, Rylen hung back to watch them. She had heard of Tommy Oliver but hadn't had the chance to meet him personally. He and Jason talked on the phone quite a bit, especially when they were going through their roughest point last year.

Jason had told her that Tommy had been a Ranger with him in the original team. He had been the Green Ranger first then the White Ranger. When Jason left, it made him leader of the team. When Jason returned he was the Red Ranger. From what she understood, Tommy was just like Adam. He had been on so many different teams and had helped the other Rangers that had followed him.

His last Ranger gig had been the Black Ranger and mentor to the Dino Thunder Rangers in Reefside where he had taught science. After that last stint, he had continued teaching. He had even gotten married three years prior to the woman he graduated high school with. She had also been a Power Ranger, so it stayed in the family. His last conversation with Jason had told the man that he was expecting his first child sometime soon.

Her eyes went to Adam immediately. He was very happy to see his friend as he ushered him to the table. Rocky smiled at her as he passed her to the coffee pot to make their friend a cup of coffee. Adam sat in his normal seat and Jason grabbed his cup and plopped down in hers. He grabbed her around the waist and pulled her into his lap, taking time to plant a kiss on her shoulder. Tommy smiled at her.

"Who is this, Jase?" he asked as he wrapped his hands around the mug.

"This is my girlfriend Rylen O'Callahan. Rylen, this is one of my best friends Tommy Oliver," Jason replied.

Tommy extended his hand. "Nice to meet you."

Rylen took it and shook it gently. "Same goes to you. I've heard a lot about you. Jason says he always got a good workout with you."

The other man's eyebrow rose slightly. "She's Irish?" Jason nodded with a smile. He pressed his nose into her shoulder. "So what have I missed?"

Everyone looked at Adam. The man jerked slightly then looked at his friends with his hands raised. Tommy looked between the four friends sitting around the table.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"Cassie's pregnant," Adam finally replied.

"That's great, man. When's she due? She a Kat could have them around the same time."

Rylen looked back at Jason. "Kat's his wife," he replied. "How's she doing by the way?"

"She kicks me out of the house every chance she gets. I don't blame her thought. I do tend to get a little over protective when it comes to her."

"It's understandable." His arms tightened around Rylen's waist.

Tommy returned his attention to his friend. "What are you going to do?"

"I don't know." Adam dropped his head to the table. He began to make designs on the top with his finger. "At this moment I don't even know if we're going to be together when the baby's born. I know my parents will want me to do what's right but I don't know if I can."

"Is everything all right?"

"Cassie's been grating on his nerves about the dojo and Rylen," Rocky said. Tommy looked at him. "Rylen is the third partner in this business. She and Adam met in college. While Adam and I teach classes, she handles the books and advertising. From what she says, we're doing pretty well. Sometimes we spend late nights talking about how we can get more students involved in our dojo. We guess she felt scared that Rylen would take Adam from her. It doesn't make sense because Rylen and Jason have a solid relationship."

"She's just mad because I know more about Adam than she does," Rylen said.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, Adam's allergic to walnuts and pineapple. He loves chocolate and ice cream. Combined it makes him very happy. He hates drinking and loves a good fight as long as it is on the mat. His favorite food is his mother's curry and chicken. He likes seafood, especially shrimp."

"We've been friends since college," Adam said. "She stayed at our apartment a few times during school."

"I learned a lot while I was there. You're shy until you get to know someone. After that, you're generally fine. I think you're too guarded with Cassie."

Jason made a noise. "I think she's right, man. You have become really guarded when you're around your girlfriend. You should be able to relax with her, not figure out how to defend yourself when she loses her temper."

Rylen moved Jason's arms from around her waist and stood. "I'm just saying that you should really rethink what you're going to do. I know you're going to be a great father but can you really live with a woman who doesn't trust you?"

Adam watched as she walked to the office and closed the door. Rylen rarely lost her temper but he could tell she was aggravated with the whole Cassie ordeal. She had made it a priority to talk to Cassie when he first started going out with her. She had been with Jason about six or seven months and they were doing really well. He wanted his friends and his girlfriend to get along so he didn't say much about it. Then Cassie started talking about how Rylen was always hanging all over him. Adam had never felt that way so he didn't put much stock in it.

He told them what she had been saying. At first it looked as if Rylen wasn't really listening to what he said. Then one day Jason pulled him aside and asked if he could keep Cassie from talking about her. He found out it was really upsetting her so he tried to stop Cassie from saying anything about any of his friends. It never worked.

The guys chitchatted a little bit, changing the conversation to something more manageable. After a little while, Rylen walked out of the office with her bag.

"Where are you going?" Jason asked when he caught her hand.

"I figured since we were going to be one big happy family, I'd meet Tanya and Marisol out for lunch. Tanya said we were going to swing by and pick up Kat on the way," she said. "She said I needed to meet her."

"She's right. Kat's a big part of all of our lives. It would be a good idea for all of the ladies to get to know each other," he said.

Tommy laughed and smiled. "It will be great to have another friend in the mix."

Jason yanked Rylen down so he could kiss her. "I'll see you at the house."

"All right." Rylen ruffled Rocky's hair as she walked by him. She hugged Adam around his neck. Then she shook Tommy's hand. "It was nice to meet you."

"It was nice to meet you as well. We should get together sometime this week," Tommy said.

"I have to work nights this week," Jason said. "Let me get back to you at the end of the week."

"That's fine." Rylen released his hand and walked out. Tommy looked back his friend. "That is a wonderful woman you have there. Where did you meet her?"

Jason's smile was radiant as he answered his friend. "I met her through Adam in school. I was dating Emily then so we were just friends. After we graduated we grew apart. I went on to get my master's in nursing then went to work with Doctors without Borders. When I came back to Angel Grove and showed up at the dojo, we started talking. Here we are two years later."

"She seems like a wonderful person." The others nodded then Tommy turned his attention to Adam. "Now back to you. You have to figure out something. You can't keep doing this to yourself."

Adam rubbed his head. "I don't know what I'm going to do. I don't want her to terminate, but I can't live with her."

"You say it hasn't always been like this but that's not what we see," Rocky said.

"What do you see?"

Rocky nodded towards Jason. "Adam, I know it's not very nice to say this but maybe you should compare your relationship to one of ours. You've seen how the two of us handle our arguments with our girlfriends."

"Yeah, I've seen it. You don't argue in public and if an argument crops up, you wait until you get home. You don't say anything bad to them ever. There is no name calling or cursing. If you have anything to say, you say it in nice tones and rarely raise your voice.'

He looked at Tommy. "I haven't seen you and Kat for a while but I assume it's the same."

Tommy nodded. "Kat and I argue, but we don't do it in public. We have the same set of friends so there's hardly anything bad to say about them. But we make sure we have time together without other people."

"I used to love spending time with her. Now I don't like it so much, especially when she talks about my family."

"Well then you have to stop that."

"I've tried."

"Then you need to make a choice. Is it really worth it to stay with someone who bad mouths your family? You wouldn't want your child to grow up in that would you?" Rocky asked.

Adam shifted his foot from side to side as he thought about his friends.


	4. Chapter 4

Marisol waved as Tanya and Kat moved towards them. Tanya had said she was getting Kat, leaving Rylen to pick up Marisol.

Rocky's girlfriend was beautiful. She was of Latin descent. Her father had been an American marine and her mother a flamenco dancer. They had met and within a month were married. Marisol and her sister came a year later. They were a close knit family that always kept in touch.

Marisol had been married at sixteen. She had her son when she was twenty and at twenty-one her husband had been killed in a drive-by shooting. Now twenty-six, she was busy raising a five year old son and running her own business. She had met Rocky when he walked into her coffee shop with Adam one day and the rest was history. They had been together for almost two years and her son loved the man. Rocky's family loved her as well.

When Rylen had first met her, she was shy. They had been at the grand opening of one of their mutual friend's businesses. Rocky had asked her to accompany him and she had to bring her son. Antonio had been a wonderful boy to talk to. He was young but he had a good head on his shoulders. Marisol had raised him well. It was obvious the boy adored Rocky because he listened to everything he said. They had a poll going to see how long it would take for them to get married. Rocky had talked about adopting the boy to make him officially his son.

As the women walked towards them, Rylen had time to check out Kat. She was very blond and very happy. She and Tanya talked the entire time they walked over to the table. No doubt Tanya was telling the blond all about Marisol and Rylen. They were obviously the outcasts of the group. Rylen glanced at the beautiful Latina next to her. She wondered how much Rocky had shared with her. \

Tanya skipped the rest of the way over. Rylen was barely out of her seat before she was hugging her. Marisol laughed as she was enveloped also.

"I have missed you guys!" she squealed as she rounded the table. "What have you been up to?"

Marisol shrugged. "The same ole same ole. Raising a five year old is always hard."

"I bet." She turned to Kat. "This is Katherine Hilliard Oliver. Kat this is Marisol Martinez and Rylen O'Callahan. Marisol is Rocky's girlfriend and Rylen is Jason's."

"It's so nice to meet you. I have to admit I was a little skeptical when Tanya told me I was meeting the other Rangers' girlfriends. In the past we haven't been one unified front," Kat replied.

"It's not easy dealing with guys who could morph into spandex suits," Marisol replied. That answered Rylen's question about what Marisol knew. Rocky must have the same policy Jason did.

"I talked to Billy the other day," she said as the waiter brought four waters out.

Kat's face brightened as she squeezed a lemon into her drink. "How is he doing? Last time I talked to him Tommy and I invited him to our wedding. He couldn't make it."

"He's doing well. He said he's getting ready for his oldest child's sixteenth birthday."

"I thought she was older than that," Tanya said.

Rylen shook her head. "Nope, she's sixteen. By Aquitar standards, she's an adult."

All four women made noises in the back of their throats then laughed. Billy was a very smart man, but he was clueless when it came to teenagers. He had four of his own children, the youngest being seven. He was going to have his hands full for a little while longer. It was funny because he was their age, meaning he got married when he was seventeen. It was legal on the world he was on so it didn't matter.

The waiter came back and took their orders. As they waited, they chitchatted over little things. Kat found out what was going on. She and Rylen started getting to know each other as Tanya and Marisol caught up. They found themselves smiling as they talked some more.

When their lunch came to them, they talked about other things. Tanya caught them up on her latest dig. She had cooperated with her parents on a dig in Africa. They had been gone for seven months looking for lost artifacts in Egypt. No one had been able to keep up with her because she had moved around too much. They got occasional updates via Facebook or the university. This was the first time they were hearing anything else.

"In all the hubbub, Rylen, I never asked what you do," Kat said as set her silverware in the middle of her plate.

"I have an MBA from UCLA. I help Adam and Rocky run the dojo as a third partner," she replied.

"That doesn't make a lot of money for someone with an MBA."

"It's not about the money. I've always wanted to own a small business. Adam maintains the book with deadly accuracy so I don't have to do much. Rocky plans the exhibitions and whatnot so all I do is make sure we have everything we need to run the dojo. Other than that I'm useless."

Tanya scoffed. "Don't listen to her, Kat. The reason Adam asked her to join them isn't just because she had an MBA. She's also a black belt in Judo. She's kicked Jason's butt a couple of times."

When Kat looked at her, Rylen shrugged. "Don't just shrug. That's amazing. The only person I know to get the best of Jason was Tommy."

"Jase has his moments, but most of the time we work out after he gets off work."

"How is that going by the way?"

"He's on afternoons this week. That means he usually comes by the dojo around noon for an extreme workout with Adam. It's before the older students come in so he has Adam's full attention."

"Speaking of Adam, how's he doing?" Marisol and Rylen looked at each other. The look clued the other two in. "What's going on?"

"Let's just say Adam's having an issue with Cassie," Marisol replied. Tanya and Kat begged for information just by the looks on their faces. Marisol looked at Rylen who nodded. "Cassie's pregnant and is telling Adam that he and Rylen are having an affair."

Rylen laughed as their mouths dropped simultaneously. "You look like two big mouth bass."

"Cassie's pregnant? What are they going to do?" Kat asked.

"Well, Adam wants to keep the baby but he's not sure if he wants to stay with Cassie. She's been bad mouthing not only us, but his family as well. She doesn't even want Katie to live with Adam," Marisol explained.

"What do the others have to say about it?"

"Jason agrees with us when we say Adam needs to decide what he wants to do. I've never seen him lose his temper and he did that this morning," Rylen replied. She rubbed the back of her neck. "Adam is the most-easy going guy I know. To watch him explode at the person he's supposed to love bothered me. I never want to see that again."

"Are you saying you want Adam and Cassie to break up?" Tanya asked.

She was quiet for a minute as she thought over what she just said. Tanya's question was valid. Did she want the two to break up?

"I want Adam happy. That's all I want. If Cassie makes him happy, then so be it. But she doesn't."

"Then you have to tell him," Kat said as she placed her hand over hers.

"I don't know if it's the right thing to do."

"Why don't you ask Jason about it? I know he has a level head most of the time," Marisol said.

They called the lunch done after they shared dessert. Tanya and Kat went one way, Marisol went to pick up her son from day care, and Rylen went for a walk so she could clear her mind.

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Jason walked into the apartment and flipped off the lights. Rylen left them on until he came home at night. She was a little paranoid even though they lived in a good neighborhood and were across the hall from Adam. He didn't laugh at her though. She put up with his quirks so he could do the same for hers.

Knowing his home in the dark, he walked to the kitchen and nuked a bowl of oatmeal for a midnight snack. He hated eating unhealthy foods. He liked to stay in shape so he kept everything healthy in the house. There was one item he had on the list that wasn't healthy but it belonged to Rylen so he let it go. For the most part she stayed healthy as well so he didn't argue too much.

After wolfing down warm oatmeal with a splash of milk and putting it in the dishwasher, he kicked off his shoes and walked to the bedroom. The light was off but once again he could find his way around. He went to the bathroom and took a quick shower to get the smell of sterilized hospital off his skin.

When he was happy he was smelling like axe instead of a white room, he got out and dried off as well as he could. He wrapped a towel around his waist and walked into the bedroom. Rylen was already in bed as he pulled on fresh underwear. He pulled on a pair of athletic shorts then took a moment to watch her.

"That's creepy you know," she said.

He laughed then crawled into bed. He pulled the covers up over his stomach then rolled onto his side. Rylen shifted back into him as his arms came over her. Jason kissed the back of her ear then buried his head in the back of her neck.

"Jason, I need to ask you something," she whispered.

"Okay, shoot," he said.

"I said something at lunch today that I'm not sure I mean or not."

He propped his head up in one of his hands and looked down at her. "What did you say?"

She rolled over so she could look up at him. "I told the girls that I never wanted to see Adam lose his temper. He has never lost his temper in front of us. He's one of the most level headed people I know. I think Cassie makes him lose his composure."

"What are you saying?"

"I don't want Adam seeing Cassie any more. I'm happy he's having a baby but I don't want him having to deal with her."

"He will since she's having his baby. And you have no idea how much he's going to deal with her once that baby's into the world. My cousin told me when his parents divorced they fought over everything, including the kids."

Rylen sighed and rubbed her face. "I don't know what to tell him. I want him to be happy but I don't want him with Cassie."

"You should be honest with your best friend." She turned her head away from him. "Hey, if it were me dating someone you didn't like, what would you say?"

"I would say you're making a big mistake. That person doesn't have your best interest at heart. You deserve someone better than that."

"Then tell Adam that. He listens to you."

"He listens to you as well."

Jason shook his head. "I'm not the one he's supposedly cheating with." He laughed when she punched him in the shoulder. She made up for it by snuggling under his chin. He rubbed her back. "You have to be the one talking to him. Rocky and I have just been sounding boards. You're the one who has the most experience with mean girls."

"Yeah, thanks for the reminder." She was quiet a minute. "I'll talk to him tomorrow."

He kissed her forehead. "That's my girl."

"But if I go to jail you have to bail me out."

Jason laughed so hard he thought he was going to hyperventilate.


	5. Chapter 5

Adam answered the door after he heard the knock. Rylen smiled at him.

"Are you ready to go?" she asked.

"Let me grab my wallet and keys," he replied.

It was raining which meant Rylen and Adam carpooled. Rylen didn't like to drive her motorcycle in the rain. Adam had always told her when they were in college that if she needed a ride just to ask. They were many days were they rode to school together when there wasn't any rain.

Adam grabbed his duffle bag on his way out and closed the door behind him. He turned and locked the door then looked at her. She laughed then turned to go down the hallway. They took the stairs like always because exercise was always important. When they were halfway down the stairs, Adam looked at her.

"Why did you bring your duffle bag?" he asked.

Rylen shifted her bag higher up on her shoulder. "I figured I needed to start working out again. Jason says I'm starting to get fat."

He laughed. "I don't think he knows what he's talking about. There's no way you could be fat. You're only what? A hundred and forty pounds soaking wet?"

She shook her head. "I'm a hundred and fifty thank you very much. But I think Jason just wants me to get back into a decent regiment again."

"You have fallen out of working out lately. Is everything all right?" She shrugged. Adam stopped in front of the double doors and pulled her with him. "Talk to me, Ry. I'm here if you need anything."

"My Da's going back to Ireland but he won't say why. My mum and brother are tight lipped about it as well. Jason says they just don't want to upset me but I know it has something to do with my Da's health."

"Didn't he have a heart attack about seven months ago?"

"Yeah, and Jason was his nurse."

Adam had heard the story. They had been having a house warming party because Jason and Rylen had just moved in. Jason had had to work so he wasn't at the party. Somewhere between the ten and eleven o'clock hours Jason had called and told Rylen she needed to get down to the hospital. An ambulance had brought her dad in. He was having a heart attack. Adam hadn't thought about it. He had grabbed his jacket and car keys and drove her to the hospital himself.

They had sat around for six hours until they could get information about how Michael O'Callahan was doing. Rylen's mother and brother had come in two hours after they had. Cholise had had to wait until Ian arrived. Ian had had to drive from a match to pick his mom up so they could go to the hospital together.

Jason had finally walked out with information. He had been one of the nurses attending in surgery so he knew everything. The doctor had had to do a bypass so Michael would be in the hospital for a few days. It would be a few hours before he was returned to his room. He had then come over to them and pulled Rylen into a hug.

"If I remember correctly, your dad liked Jason as his nurse and he was even happier when he found out you were dating him," Adam said.

Rylen laughed. "Da is never happy about guys I date but he was happy when he realized I was dating a nurse."

Adam opened the door to the passenger side of the car and waited for her to get in. "He's just happy you have someone you love."

Her response was smile. He smiled too then closed the door and walked around to his side. After he got in and started the car, he buckled up then backed out. They were quiet as they rode to the dojo. They could have walked because it was only a few blocks from their building, but it was raining and they didn't want to get wet. Wet jeans were horrible to walk in.

Adam parked in the nearest parking spot. He noticed that Rocky wasn't there yet so he must have had a hard night with Antonio. They got out and rushed into the building. Adam flipped on the lights as Rylen walked up to the office. When she came back down she was dressed in her gi pants, a tank top, and was barefooted.

"I turned the ringer to the phone off. The answering machine will pick up everything," she said.

"All right. No interruptions. Let's stretch first."

They did. They sat on the mat and helped each other stretch out their muscles before they started working out. If anyone walked in, they would have to take a double take as Adam pressed on Rylen's back to loosen the muscles of her lower back. It was something he did to help someone be loose enough to work out. Neither one of them wanted to stop doing what they loved because of injury. It had happened to Rocky and he had lost his powers.

They stood and shook out the stretch. Then they bowed to each other and took up their starting stance. They were trained in two different forms of martial arts. Adam was a black belt in Shaolin Kung Fu and Rylen was proficient in Judo. It always made the workout even more deadly because neither one could read the other's moves.

Fists and feet were flying when Rocky, Tommy, and another guy walked in. There was a conversation going on between the two so the other three excused themselves to the landing where they watched without the chance of injury. Rocky knew that when they were having a conversation in the middle of a workout something was up.

Rylen flipped to get away from Adam's roundhouse kick. She dropped to the ground and hooked her foot around his. He lost his balance and fell hard to the mat. She dropped down beside him, neither one wanting to get up and continue. They gasped for breath before Adam rolled over and rested his cheek on his folded arms.

"So you think I should break up with her?" he asked.

"I don't think she makes you happy anymore. When you first got together, you were so happy. You were, for lack of a better word, glowing whenever you walked in a room. She was all you could ever talk about and it was always good things you said." She looked over at him. "Now all you do is try to figure out what you've done wrong if you've done anything wrong."

"So you're saying you don't think I will be happy with her."

"Adam, you're one of my best friends. You stood behind me when I wasn't certain if I wanted to Jason. I'm just telling you what I think. It's up to you to decide what you want to do with it."

She rolled to her feet then stood over him with her hand stretched out. Adam took it and stood. He threw his arm around her shoulders.

"I knew it!" Rylen threw her hands up as they turned to face Cassie. The woman was seething as she stomped up to her. "I knew you were after Adam. All I had to do was come watch how the two of you work."

"We were working out, for your information," Rylen replied.

"Cassie, what are you doing here?" Adam asked. "You're supposed to be at work."

"I have a doctor's appointment today and I wanted to know if you wanted to come with me. If I had known you were going to be rolling around on the floor with this woman I wouldn't have come," Cassie replied.

Rylen huffed up ready to respond until an arm came around her neck. She looked back at Rocky as the man held her in check. He understood the fiery Irish temper the woman held because he had seen it firsthand. He didn't want to unleash that on the unsuspecting woman in front of them.

"They were just working out, Cassie," Rocky explained.

Cassie made a face as she turned to him. "Of course you would defend him. He's your best friend. It only makes sense."

Rocky tilted his head down as Rylen whispered in his ear. "Let me punch her. Let me punch her just once."

"What are we always telling our students?"

"Never use martial arts to start a fight."

"Right. Let Adam handle this."

They stood back as Adam and Cassie duked it out verbally. Adam's shoulders tensed as the argument went on. He was about to explode.

"I can see now why you would want her. She's tight and fit, making her perfect for you. But I wonder what Jason would say when he finds out the two of you have been seeing each other behind his back," she said.

"I think I would say what are you talking about because I know they're not sleeping together," Jason said. He waved his hand. "Hey, guys. And, Cassie, they aren't sleeping together."

"How do you know?"

"Because last night Rylen was in our apartment when I got home."

"It's a good cover up. She was at Adam's last night. How do you know they weren't together?"

"Why are you so bent on finding fault with him?" Rylen snapped. "You have a good man who would move the moon for you if you asked. Now you're trying to find something to push him away. Normally when someone does that he or she is trying to put blame for something that person has done."

Adam looked at her. "Is she right? Are you the one cheating and trying to blame it on me?"

Cassie was really quiet and she shifted her weight from one foot to another. Adam rubbed his face and turned away. Tommy and the other guy went to their friend as Rocky stood with Rylen as he tried to keep the woman cemented in her spot. He could feel her anger vibrating off her skin. She broke free of him and stalked towards the woman. As Jason started from the door to stop her, Adam grabbed her wrist. She looked up at him in question and he shook his head. Keeping her wrist in his firm grasp he turned to his girlfriend.

"I have given you everything I could. Granted there were some things I refused to give you because I was afraid you would be spoiled, but you're already spoiled. I can handle you talking about my friends because yes they can be overbearing, but I can handle them. Talking about my family was a no go but you didn't listen. My sister lives with me so she doesn't have to live in the dorms. I know it wasn't ideal for you but she's my sister. If we lived together then you would have had a say, but we don't so you don't," he said.

"Adam, I…"

He held up his hand to stop her from talking. "I have never cheated on a girlfriend. If you don't believe me ask these guys. I never had time in college for a girlfriend so when I met you I was really happy. I thought maybe this girl was someone I could settle down with and start a family. Well I started my family, or so I thought. Now I find out you have cheated on me with some other guy. Do you even know who the father of that child is?"

"Answer him," Rylen demanded when she was quiet too long. "Is the child his or the other guy's?"

Cassie shook her head. "I don't know."

Adam bit his lip. He looked down at Rylen. She turned her hand in his and gripped his wrist tightly. He looked back at his other friends.

"I can't live like this anymore. If the kid is mine, I will help you take care of it. If it's not, that's fine. But as of right now, we're done. Let me know when you find out the paternity," he said.

As he turned away, Cassie shrieked. She kicked the mat the stormed out of the dojo. Rylen led Adam up to the landing where Jason fixed him a cup of coffee. Adam sat down heavily and put his head in his hands.

"I did the right thing," he muttered.

"If she was going to cheat on you, she's going to cheat on some other guy," Rylen replied.

"Sorry I had to pull you into this. She just made me so angry."

"You don't know angry. Rylen was buzzing with energy beside me," Rocky said.

Adam looked up at her. She smiled at him then threw her arms around his neck. "Think about it. Now you can find someone who is worthy of you."

"No, no, no. I think I'm done dating for a while. This relationship was just too hard," he replied.

"That's just because you had a sucky girlfriend." Everyone laughed at her. She turned her attention to the new guy. "I'm Rylen, Jason's girlfriend."

"I'm Carlos Vallerte, Tanya's boyfriend. I just swung by to see my friends before I went to find her for brunch," he said.

"Well, she said she was going to meet Kat and Marisol for coffee at Marisol's coffee shop. You'll find them there."

Carlos looked at Jason. "I'm going to like her, aren't I?"

Jason shrugged then smiled. "I think so. Everyone does so far."

Rylen shrugged her shoulders then walked into the office. It was boys' time so she made herself scarce.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** Thanks for the reviews! I get a writer's block after every chapter so it takes a day for me to get the inspiration for the chapters. So far it's going well.

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**Six months later **

Adam sighed as he walked out of the dojo and locked the door. He was tired. They had officially opened a second dojo across town closer to the youth center and the high school. Tommy and Carlos were the ones who helped run it. Like usual, Rylen was running the behind the scenes of both dojos. She was keeping things running smoothly.

Tommy and Kat had moved back to Angel Grove officially. Kat was working in a bank as Tommy worked in the dojo. The dojo he ran had workout equipment so it was a fully functional gym and dojo. It was doing good business so Rocky and Adam could devote their time to teenagers and children at their dojo.

Everyone was doing fine. Tommy and Kat were doing really well. Their baby was due in a few weeks so all of his friends were getting ready to be babysitters. Baby things were flowing into their house at a decent speed. Kat's parents were flying in from Australia in a couple of weeks so they could help with the baby while Tommy was gone.

Tanya was gone again. Carlos had stayed behind because Adam had asked him to help Tommy run the new building. Carlos came over for dinner about three times a week. They didn't really mind. It just meant there was one more mouth to feed now that Frankie was popping in more often.

Jason and Rylen had just returned from a medical conference Jason's hospital had sent him on. Lucky for them it was in Hawaii. For a week all they did was go to meetings during the mornings, go to the beach in the afternoons then go out to eat at one of the fancy restaurants. There was no doubt they worked out on the beach whenever they wanted. When they came home they were tanner than when they had left.

Rocky and Marisol had been having some issues. Antonio had been giving Rocky some issues. He was getting to the stage where he didn't want to do anything. Rocky couldn't discipline him because he wasn't his father and that tore at the man. Antonio had only known Rocky as a father figure since Marisol hadn't dated anyone after her husband died. Rocky had been the first in four years. To get him to listen, they enrolled him in Rocky's beginners' class. It would teach him he couldn't always get what he wanted.

Adam had been doing well since he had broken up with Cassie. He had been able to do things he had always wanted to do. Some of the things he hadn't done were because Cassie hadn't wanted him to do it. He had gotten Rocky, Tommy, Rylen, and Jason to go skydiving with him. The first three had gone when they were still Rangers. It was before they had lost their powers at the hand of Ivan Ooze and traveled to Phaedos to become Ninjetti.

While they were on their trip, they had had fun. Tommy was doing flips and spirals through the air. Rocky was back flipping all the time. Jason and Rylen raced all the way down. Rylen had won because Jason pulled his chute sooner than she did. She laughed at him all the way home. Their next trip was riding dirt bikes but that wasn't as fun.

When he wasn't doing something fun with his friends or working, Adam was in his apartment with his new dog. He had been walking with his friends one day when they had come across this adoption festival going on in the park. The local shelters had brought their adoptable animals out on their annual event. It was always a huge success because most kids wanted a dog.

They had been walking by the large animal shelter when Adam had spotted a very happy dog smiling at everyone. He was very friendly but no one was looking at him because he was missing his right front leg. He had been run over and left for dead and yet he was a very happy dog. Adam had known right then that he wanted the dog. He had adopted him immediately, changing his name from Champ to Racer. When he took him home, Racer had run around the apartment, finally making himself at home on Adam's couch.

When Adam took Racer out for a walk, he asked if he could take Jason and Rylen's dog out as well. They had adopted one at the adoption day as well. Theirs was a mix between German shepherd and Rottweiler and they named the dog Shorty. It was a huge dog with a small name. When the dogs went out, they romped and chased each other everywhere. It was like they had grown up together.

Adam took a right and went towards the restaurant he was supposed to be meeting his friends. They were having a baby shower for Kat while they had time so they had something for their baby from their closest friends. Katie and Frankie were even invited. They had pooled their money and bought one big gift. Since he had to work, Frankie had volunteered to bring in the gift.

Jason and Rylen had conned one of their good friends into letting them use the big back room of his restaurant. It really hadn't taken too much conning. When he asked what they needed it for and they said a baby shower, he had been all for it. He even went so far as to paying for the dinners himself. It had been a surprise and a very nice gesture.

"You're running a little late, aren't you?"

He turned at the familiar Irish accent. "Aren't you supposed to be there already?"

Rylen shrugged then nodded her head at the white box in her hand. "I was charged with getting the cake."

"Chad didn't provide that?"

"No, but his wife did."

'That's right. She works at the bakery near the youth center."

"Yep. She makes the best cakes, cupcakes, and breads I've ever had."

They walked in silence for a few feet. "How's your brother doing?"

"He likes Manchester United better than he did the Galaxy. It's closer to home and he can be near my mum more."

Two months ago Rylen's father had had another heart attack and died. When the coroner did the autopsy, it was discovered one of his bypasses had failed. He hadn't suffered though. He had died in his sleep. Cholise had been at work at the time and had gotten a call from Ian who was home from camp. They had called Rylen as soon as they could. She and Jason had gone to Ireland for a week for the funeral. After they returned, no one saw much of Rylen, not even her new friends.

She seemed to be doing better now. She, Tanya, Kat, and Marisol went out to lunch once a week. Sometimes they even had dinner together and watched a movie. They had formed a tight knit family of just them. Now that Tanya was gone, they missed an important part of their group.

"How's your mom?" he asked.

"She's having a hard time. She and my da never went anywhere without each other. The house they live in was the house I grew up in. It's an important part of our family," she replied as they turned the corner.

"Will she move out of it?"

"I don't think so. I think she wants us to raise our own children in that house. Ian's more than likely to raise his kids there than I am."

"Why's that?"

"I now have citizenship here. That means I have dual citizenship so I can move at any time but this is where I will primarily live."

"Jason's fine with this?"

"He really doesn't have a choice. I applied way before I knew him. It takes several months up to several years to be accepted. It helped that I went to school here so they have a reference to ask if they ever need something."

"Let's hope they don't."

They came to the restaurant and Adam opened the door then stood back so she could enter before him. She knew where they were going so he let them lead to the back of the building. There was already a lot of noise coming from there so it was the easiest place to find them.

When they came into the room, everyone greeted them at once. It was hard to tell where one voice stopped and another started. They blended so much it was as if children were in the room. It might as well be like that since some of them had been friends since they were kids.

Suddenly hands were thrown over Adam's eyes. He thought about panicking but there were happy exclamations. He stood there for a minute as he tried to figure out who was behind him. Finally the hands dropped and he turned around.

"Hey!" said a happy African American woman.

His arms were around her instantly and he swung her around. Then he dropped her to her feet. "Aisha! What are you doing here?"

"You didn't think I was going to miss two of my best friends' baby shower did you?" she asked.

"I brought someone with me." She turned to her side.

A brunette and a blond came through the door. "Surprise!"

Bedlam ensued. Jason, Tommy, Rocky, and Adam converged on the two quickly. Kat was a little more subdued. Rylen and Carlos stood back and shared a look. They were obviously the odd ones out. They knew they were old Rangers because everyone in that room was a former Ranger, except Rylen. Carlos had come later but that wasn't important. The fact that they were all together meant they still had strong ties to one another.

"Once a ranger always a ranger," Carlos said as if reading her mind.

"Undoubtedly," she replied.

"Rylen, Carlos, come here," Adam said. They looked at each other then ventured over. "These guys are Kimberly Hart and Billy Cranston. They were the original Pink and Blue Rangers. Guys, this is Rylen O'Callahan and Carlos Vallerte. Carlos took over as the Green Turbo Ranger after I left for college. I met Rylen while in college. She's been dating Jason the last year."

Kimberly grabbed Jason's shoulder and shook it. "Congratulations! I know you always wanted a steady girlfriend."

"Yeah, yeah. Let it go," Jason said but he was all smiles. Rylen tilted her head slightly. "Uh oh. What is it, Ry?"

"I thought Billy was on Aquitar," she said.

"I was but I came back for this. I thought it was too important to miss," Billy replied.

They all sat down and ordered. It was still mass chaos as everyone talked at once. Rylen and Jason caught up with Aisha and Kimberly. When she was told that Kimberly had dated Tommy before Kat, Rylen had looked at Jason. He had nodded with a mischievous glint in his eye before turning to yell something at Tommy. Tommy yelled back and everything was fine.

The cake was cut and pieces passed out. Rylen took a bite out of it then flinched.

"What's wrong?" Kimberly asked as she put a forkful into her mouth.

"The icing's too sweet," she replied.

"Next time asked for whipped icing," Jason said.

She dipped her finger into the white frosting and swiped it across his cheek. Rocky, Aisha, Kimberly and Antonio choked on their cake as they tried not to laugh with their mouths full. Jason's response was to wipe some onto her nose.

"That's enough playing with the food," Adam laughed as he handed his friends napkins so they could wipe it all off.

After cake, Kat started to open presents. It was a good thing they had given them the gender of the baby because some people were just evil in that way. Luckily Tommy and Kat weren't that evil. They had told them they were having a boy almost immediately.

Kat made little noises as she opened each present. A lot of the gifts were diapers and wipes which always came in handy with a newborn. When she got to the Parks' gift, Tommy had to hold it so she could open it. When she got the paper off, she bounced happily.

"It's a stroller car sat combination!" she said.

"Wow, guys. Thanks," Tommy said as he stared at the box. "You shouldn't have done this."

"We know that being a professor doesn't pay much and Katie said you didn't have a car seat yet. We thought what the heck. Let's go big or nothing at all," Frankie said.

Kat went through all the gifts with blinding speed. When she came to the last one, she stopped for a moment. She looked at Rylen with a narrowed gaze. The other woman just laughed then motioned for her to open it. Jason smiled at Tommy then slipped his arm around his girlfriend.

Kat pulled out a handmade quilt and held it up. It was monogrammed in one corner and it had all sorts of colors in the design. In the middle of the quilt was a lightning bolt. Kat looked up at her.

"My mum made my brother and me quilts before we were born. She says it gave us good luck growing up," Rylen said.

"This one's special because the baby is a child of Power Rangers. We've all signed our names on one of the patches based on our colors. Obviously some of us have more than one color but it's cool. The baby has the love of all of us stitched into that quilt," Jason said.

"It's wonderful and completely thoughtful," Aisha said. "I wish I had known about it and I would have signed a patch."

"It's the thought that counts," Billy said.

They finished their little party and everyone helped Kat carry all of her stuff to her car. As he was walking out, Adam bumped into one of the waitresses. Jason and Rylen were behind him so when they watched him turn around, they looked at each other. Rylen got an idea and turned around. When she came back, she handed Adam a piece of paper.

"What's this?" he asked.

"Lexi's phone number. She said call her whenever you want to go out," she said as she walked by him to the sidewalk.

"I've already told you I don't want to date anyone just yet."

"It's been six months. You should be fine. Besides I haven't seen you look at someone the way you looked at Lexi just now."

Jason caught his friend's shoulder. "Don't do it. She's got it in her head. There's no way you're going to change it. You might as well call Lexi when you get a chance so she'll leave you alone about it."

Adam watched his friend catch up to his girl. Sometimes he wondered why he let Rylen bully him. Then he remembered that he had let Aisha do the same thing while they were in high school. Oh, the things he did for his friends!


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** I'm working on the next few chapters so it might take a while to get some more chapters up.

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It turned out that Lexi was a good friend of Rylen's from college (Go figure). Whenever Rylen and Jason would come into the restaurant Lexi would always ask about their friends, Adam in particular. The whole situation gave Rylen the incentive to be nosy. She was just being a good friend and Adam had to laugh at how underhanded she had been.

But he also had to thank her. When he called Lexi, he had to admit that she was a wonderful person. She was funny to be around but she had a fiery temper. He had been at the forefront of one of those days.

They had just started talking and hanging out. He had invited her to his apartment to meet his brother and sister because it was important she get to know his family. Frankie had answered the door and she came through madder than a hornet. Adam had been in the kitchen making dinner when he heard it and had come out to see what was going on. She had rounded on him and had told him what had happened at work. He had listened and had laughed at her when she crossed her arms over her chest.

He had enjoyed the little moment to watch the way she reacted when something irritated her. He was extremely happy. She hadn't turned her anger towards him or his siblings. She had just wanted to rant a little bit and have someone listen to her.

When she was done, they went into the kitchen and finished making dinner. She had gotten along with Katie almost instantly. They had spent most of dinner talking about things they would like to do. Katie would love to go to New Zealand as a graduation present. Lexi wanted to travel to Australia. When Adam told her he had already been to Australia, she punched him with her mouth opened wide. He had laughed at her when she started in on how she wished she had known him in high school and she would have gone with him.

So far their relationship was getting off to a good start. They'd hang out two to three times a week. She had even started coming to the dojo when she wasn't studying for her dissertation. She was going to get her Ph.D. in physics and be a professor. It was something he respected so he didn't complain when she was in school or studying. But hanging out with her at the dojo was different. She saw him at work as he taught his students martial arts. Some of his students were older than him but he worked with them just the same.

When he was done with class, he usually sparred with someone who was still at the dojo. Most of the time it was Rylen and Rocky. When they got into a two on one sparring match, it was a free for all. The three were trained in different styles of martial arts so it was funny to watch them fight each other.

Lexi was getting along well with the rest of his friends. They liked her because she was nice and considerate. If she went anywhere, she always asked if someone needed anything. Sometimes they took her up on that offer. She had even invited them to her apartment for dinner and a game night which had been really fun. They all cut loose and had a good time.

Kat and Tommy had had their baby about two weeks prior. Lexi had been invited to the hospital when Adam went. It had been her idea to go home and cook something for the new parents when they left. She had made pasta and a ton of garlic bread. Kat and Tommy had been very happy that they had enough food to live on for a few days. She had made good impression on the couple and they had invited them to dinner.

Adam and Rocky were working out after the last class. They were really breaking a sweat. Jason was sitting against the window watching them. He was still wearing his scrubs because he had just come from the hospital. He looked very tired as he leaned his head against the window.

Rylen and Lexi were sitting on the stairs drinking tea and talking about random things when Jason's phone went off. Not even thinking about it, he answered. Rylen frowned when he sat up straight and started talking in hushed tones. Rocky and Adam were oblivious to it but the ladies weren't. Jason's girl led the way down the stairs until she got to him.

"All right. I'll be right there," he said when she touched his shoulder. He closed his phone and looked at her. "Get Adam to the hospital as soon as possible and meet me at the hospital."

"Is everything all right?" she asked.

He shook his head. "Cassie's been in an accident and they're going to have to do an emergency C-section. I've been called in to attend since they know I know her."

"Go on. I'll get Adam. Be careful."

Jason kissed her then hurried out the door. Rylen looked at Lexi and shook her head. She went out onto the floor and stopped the sparring match that was going on. Adam stopped immediately and looked at the window.

"Where's Jason? I thought he was going back to the house when this was done," he said. She rubbed her eyes. "Ry, what's wrong?"

"I need you to get your stuff and come with me. Adam, it's important," she said very quietly.

Adam dropped his arms and looked at her. "What it is?"

"I need you to stay calm, buddy. Jason had to go back to the hospital because Cassie's been in an accident. They're going to have to do an emergency C-section. I don't know anything but he told me to get you to the hospital."

He didn't waste any time. He grabbed his bag and stuffed his feet into his tennis shoes. Rocky headed home to tell Marisol what was going on. Rylen took the keys to Adam's car and drove to the hospital. Lexi sat in the back seat with her hand planted on Adam's shoulder as he panicked in the front seat.

It didn't take long for them to get to the maternity ward at the hospital. Tommy was already there as was Cassie's new boyfriend. Adam and the guy looked at each other then called a truce by shaking hands. They sat on opposite ends of the waiting room. The guy looked lonely because he was the only one there. Adam had his friends sitting with him. Lexi looked at everyone then went over to the other guy and began talking to him. After a minute she had him coming over.

"This is Steven. He was at work when he got the call that Cassie had been in an accident," she said as she sat down beside Adam.

"So you're Adam Park," he said. Adam nodded. "I just wanted you to know I didn't know she had a boyfriend when we met. She said she was single."

"I don't blame you," Adam replied. "Apparently I wasn't good enough for her."

"Also, I didn't know she was pregnant when I slept with her."

Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at him. Adam looked like a fish out of water as his mouth moved but no sound came out. It was Rylen who spoke up.

"What do you mean you didn't know?" she asked.

"She told me when I first met her. I told her I wasn't into that kind of thing but she insisted. She said you were long gone."

"They were together even then. It wasn't until she confessed to cheating that he broke up with her."

Steven rubbed his face. "I'm sorry, man. If I had known any of this, I would have told her no. I didn't want to break up a relationship."

Adam waved his hand. "It was already broken."

"Anyway congratulations. You're having a baby girl."

Steven sat down beside Tommy and struck up a conversation. Adam sat numb. He was having a daughter. He looked at Lexi. She smiled and squeezed his hand then leaned against his shoulder. She wasn't mad at the fact that he was having a baby. She was going to support him in it. He rested his cheek against the top of her head.

An hour later Jason walked into the waiting room. He was wearing his blue surgery scrubs, booties, a mask, and a hat. He looked really funny. He pulled his mask off then sighed.

"What's up?" Rylen asked.

"Everything's fine. The baby is healthy. She was eight pounds four ounces. Cassie on the other hand is going to have to remain here for at least a week. She has a broken rib, a dislocated shoulder, and a broken leg. There is no way she's going to be able to take care of that baby," Jason replied. He looked at Adam. "Before she went into surgery, she said she wanted you to take care of Isabella."

Adam frowned. "But I don't have anything yet. She wasn't due for another two weeks."

"We'll pool our money together to help you," Tommy said. "I know Kat won't mind considering all of you helped us out."

"Thanks. Jase, this is Steven. He's Cassie's new boyfriend."

Jason held out his hand. "You're not too upset with this whole thing are you?"

"I knew Cassie had some secrets but I didn't know it was this deep," Steven replied. "I have no intention of trying to take the baby from her real father. I just want to have a good relationship with him. I think it's beneficial for the child."

The nurse turned his head. "Keep him around. He'll be a good friend to you."

He pulled Rylen away from the group to talk to her. Adam took the time to get to know Adam a little better. Lexi inserted herself into the mix. Adam felt as if she were making a point to say she was going to be in Adam's life for a long time.

When Rylen returned to her seat, she and Lexi struck up a conversation that lasted forever. It wasn't until the doctor came into the waiting room to tell them that they could see Cassie whenever they felt like it. Adam and Steven opted to go in alone. If they showed the woman they were a united front maybe she would calm the tension that was going to happen.

When they walked in the room, they noticed the baby in the bassinet off to the side. Cassie was watching the pink clad infant. When they walked up to the bed, she looked at them. They couldn't tell if she was angry or just still loopy. Steven went to the side of the bed as Adam went to the bassinet.

"Has the doctor told you what's happened?" Steven asked.

She nodded. "Yeah. They said I was in a car accident off the main highway. I don't remember what happened though. They told me I had to have an emergency C-section and that I'm going to be here for at least a week."

"That's right. I was talking with Adam in the waiting room and I think we should let Isabella stay with him while you're here."

Cassie looked at Adam. "Was this your idea?"

Adam shook his head as he looked down at his daughter. "No, it wasn't. Steven brought it up. I just didn't say yes or no. It's your decision. I'm just glad she's mine."

Steven got his girlfriend's attention again. "I think it's a good idea. I think she should stay with Adam so you can get better. I just want the rest of us to get along for her benefit. I know what's it like coming from a broken home where parents fight over the kids."

Cassie thought about it for a few minutes. "It's a good idea. It makes it easier to talk to Adam about this anyway. You can stay if you wish, Steven."

Steven sat down on the pullout couch. Adam pulled the chair up beside the bed. Cassie played with the edges of her blankets as she thought of a good way to bring up what she wanted to say. Adam thought he was going to get chewed out so when she brought up something completely different he was shocked.

"Adam, I've been talking to my parents and they said that I was not ready for a baby. They said I'm only twenty-four, which is the same age as when my mom had me. They even said I can't take care of a child by myself. She said I should consider alternative options," she said.

Adam listened quietly. "So I've been considering everything they said. They were right about me being immature. I've noticed that in the last few months. So Steven and I have been thinking. I think it will be a good idea for you to have full custody of Isabella."

He was so shocked he couldn't say anything. He looked at Steven and the other man nodded. "Why?"

"Adam, you of all people should know how I am. You put up with the worst of me for six months. I even blamed you for cheating when it was me who did it. I made you feel lower than dirt and I talked horribly about your family. I don't have a job and I can barely take care of myself. Steven has been helping me get on my feet. I'm back in school so I can finish my degree. He's been a good influence on me."

"She's been accepted to the University of Washington where her family lives. We're going there in a couple of weeks so she can start classes," Steven said.

"That's a long way away, Cass. How are you going to see Isabella?"

"I figured she's in better hands with you than she would be with me. What do you say?"

Adam thought about it for a few minutes. Cassie was doing the one selfless thing she had ever done when she was with him. She was giving her child a better opportunity. Steven had done some good with her. He was impressed at how level headed she was.

While he was thinking, the door opened. Jason and Rylen came in. Obviously the nurse had snuck has girlfriend in without anyone seeing her. Cassie looked at Rylen.

"I just wanted to say I'm sorry. I know now Adam never cheated on me. I was just mad that he had a better relationship with you than he did with me," she said.

Rylen nodded. "It's quite all right. You're not as bad as you want everyone to think you are."

Cassie nodded then looked at Adam. "What do you say?"

"I'll do it," he replied.

She smiled then turned her head so she could go to sleep. Jason checked everything then wheeled the baby back to the nursery. Steven and Adam shook hands, saying goodbye for probably the last time. Rylen wrapped her arm around Adam's waist as they walked back out to the waiting room. Everyone looked up at them.

"How is she?" Tommy asked.

"She's doing well. Better than I thought actually," he replied. "She's asked me to take full custody of my daughter. She said she's going back to school in Washington and wants her daughter to have a better life than she could give her."

"What did you say?" Lexi asked.

He scoffed. "I said yes." She bombarded him with a hug. "I have a few things to do then tomorrow we can go shopping for baby things."

"You'll have to invite Katie and Marisol because they will totally want to go as well," Rylen said.

"I take it you're coming as well," Lexi said with a smile.

"You know it. There's no way I'm going to let him walk out without getting the best stuff."

Tommy gave Adam a sympathetic smile. "Looks like Kat's in charge of planning the baby shower."

Adam shook his head, extremely happy that his friends were very good at being there for him.


End file.
